Passion, Vows & Babies_Anonymous Bride Read online

  “I hope this is okay?” Her shy question has me wondering where the woman from ten minutes ago went.

  “Of course. You’re welcome to anything in here. Hell, anything anywhere. You want it, Megan, and it’s yours.” I’m sure I’ll have to repeat that statement every time she wants or needs something.

  “Thank you,” she murmurs, going back to cutting the pineapple in her hands. I’m fascinated as I watch her work the knife with precision and skill. Not once nicking her fingers as she skins the fruit.

  “Do you enjoy cooking?” I ask her. I’d love to see her in my kitchen.

  “Sometimes.” Her short answer doesn’t tell me much.

  “Do you prefer to do it for just you or a few friends?” She freezes at my query. Looking up, I see hesitance in her green gaze. She’s afraid to connect with me. Walking around the counter, I stand beside her, placing my hand over the one she’d just taken off the fresh fruit. “Whatever you’re afraid of, whatever you’re thinking, I want this. I want us. This may have been a marriage of convenience for us both in the beginning, but I ache to have you as my real wife. I want everything a loving marriage entails, Megan.”

  We don’t look at each other after my passionate words, and she doesn’t move, which is fine. She’s likely processing the sentiments and how much she can trust them. I want her to, but I accept I’m going to have to earn everything with this woman.

  Megan

  All I can think about is what Jordan said in the hut. His promise to give me everything I’ve been craving, and not once assuming I’d just cater to him. My foolish heart is already falling for him, and I barely know more than his name.

  With his confident, overbearing attitude, I should be scared off. But he pulls the mystique off well, makes it a good quality rather than an annoying one.

  As we walk along the white, sandy beach, he always ensures a hand is touching me. Gliding down my arm, pushing the hair back from my face, playing with my fingers. It’s like he’s trying to get me addicted to his touch, and I’m sucker enough to fall for it.

  The lagoon we’re staying in is one of the most stunning bodies of water I’ve ever seen. The blue and green color is the perfect mix for an artist’s palette. The sparkling coral and other rock beds and fish underneath are amazing to watch.

  “How did you know about this place?” I ask Jordan. “It’s so picturesque.” I can’t help the sigh that passes my lips. I never want to leave.

  “An old friend of mine from Atlanta, actually. Weston Davis had some serious making up to do with his better half after a misunderstanding. Once their life calmed down, he intended to bring her here. They ended up having a baby.” He seemed to laugh at his friend’s plight.

  “Is that where you’re from?”

  “Yes, and no. My grandparents live in Atlanta, and I spent summers there. Weston lived a couple of blocks away, and we hung out every year.” I love the smile the memory brings to his face.

  “Do you still see him? Does he live in D.C., too?”

  “Not as often since he’s moved back to Atlanta with Aspen and their kids.”

  “That’s nice,” I say absently, staring off into the water. I’m at a loss at what the heck we’re doing.

  “I was thinking,” he begins, and I look up to him—he’s so damn tall, “we could go on a sunset cruise around the island. It lasts a few hours but is supposed to be a sight to behold. Think peanut can handle it?” His eager face, coupled with calling my unborn baby peanut, has all my girly bits screaming to let this man own me.

  My heart is racing so fast, I fear I might pass out. “I think we’d both like that.”

  The two of us spend the rest of the afternoon goofing off and collecting more seashells than we know what to do with. Jordan insists on keeping every one of them and taking them back home to decorate the baby’s room with. He wants to have a mural of some sort made up for us to remember this trip.

  He can’t possibly be real.

  Can he?

  Chapter Six

  Jordan

  I’m almost positive Megan thinks I’m nuts at this point. The more time I spend getting to know her, the more I want to please her. Referring to us as a family seems to do the trick. I’ve noticed the way she’s held herself back from me until I mentioned peanut. As soon as I talk about the baby, she glows like any new mother should.

  Boarding the small cruise boat, I ask, “Do you know how far along you are?”

  Her body stiffens before she answers. “Just passed three months.”

  I calculate in my head. “So almost a Christmas baby, then?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you know what we’re having?” I think I shock us both with the we. I hadn’t meant to say it, it just slipped out. I refuse to take it back, though.

  She stops mid-step on the way to our dinner table, turns on me, and attempts to say something. Then she closes her mouth, shakes her head, and opens it again. Still, no words are forthcoming. Spinning around, she follows the hostess to our table.

  Holding out the chair for her, I lean down to whisper in her ear. “I want this to work Megan.”

  “I know,” she murmurs as I walk away. We’re both quiet as the hostess pours water. When she leaves, Megan says, “I want it to be a surprise.” Her face is a mask of excitement and shyness.

  “Do you have a preference?”

  “No,” she shakes her head, “just healthy.”

  I watch her gazing at everything around us. The boat is small, not a real cruise ship, seating a dozen tables for dinner. It has an overhanging deck to sightsee underneath and along the water as it moves. Light music plays in the background with small twinkling lights lining the railing around the boat for a romantic feel. Megan seems to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere which in turn, has me enjoying her more.

  “Did you always want to work for your father?” She asks me.

  “For as long as I can remember.”

  “And so, this,” she waves her hand between us, “was so he wouldn’t sell the company, right?” We’d briefly discussed our reasons for this agreement on the beach earlier. Neither of us had gotten very heavily into the conversation, though.

  “It was,” I confirm. “It’s become so much more for me since the arrangements were made, however.”

  Her lips quirk like she’s about to grin, but then she frowns. “At the ceremony, I blurted out I was pregnant, and you looked like you were going to be sick. What changed?”

  How do I answer a question I can’t explain?

  “Honestly?” She nods. “I don’t know if I can describe it.” Megan seems uncertain as I recall the look on her face as she lifted the veil. “You had this look in your eyes. Sad, shy, nervous. They flickered like fireflies in the night. But it was the curiosity and mischief that hooked me.” I like the way she looks away when she’s shy. “When our hands touched, and I felt electrified, I was struck stupid. It wouldn’t have mattered what you had said then, I couldn’t have processed it properly. I was more shocked when your words registered than anything else.” I laughed thinking of the way my dad gave me shit. “It took a full minute for me to work through everything.”

  “So, you don’t regret it, yet?”

  “Yet?” Her insecurities continue to baffle me. “At all. Megan, I understand a few things about life. The biggest being, when you get nailed with attraction and need the way I was yesterday, you don’t pass it up.”

  “Is that all this is, though? Attraction?”

  This girl with her hard questions. “No. Am I attracted to you? Fuck, yes. Even a blind man would be. Still, it’s more than that. It’s the light in your eyes while you appreciate the ocean. The sway of your body when you’re relaxed. I especial love the tiny moans when I’m kissing you. The way you search me out when I stop touching you.”

  “You sure notice a lot.”

  She lightly laughs, prompting me to say, “It’s that soft laugh telling me you appreciate all the little things.”

  She appears to be
happy with all I’ve told her as we’re served our dinner, and the yacht launches from the dock. Served a traditional French Polynesian dinner of Sweet Tahitian Chicken cooked in peppers, pineapple, and served over rice. With Banana Po’e to finish the dish.

  “This looks delicious,” Megan tells the waitress.

  “All fabulous dishes of the Tahitian people.” The woman grins and walks away.

  Cutting into the banana first, I offer Megan a bite off my fork and her expression encompasses both surprise and anticipation as she opens for me.

  Her moan is full of ecstasy as she savors the exotic tastes on her pallet. “This is wonderful.”

  Soon we’re both immersed in our dishes as a young man comes to the top deck we’re on and plays the ukulele while singing a mellow tune.

  Megan

  I have so many questions for Jordan as we enjoy our food; the spices bringing such flavor to each dish. I’ve never tasted anything so mouth-watering, but I’m afraid to insult him.

  The music plays, dessert is served, and chilled wine is placed in front of us. Jordan’s quiet, “We’re expecting,” stuns me. He keeps saying we, us, ours, and each time, I get butterflies in my stomach from it. He doesn’t hesitate to claim my baby.

  The waitress walks away with a huge grin and the wine, and Jordan’s got this look in his molten eyes. “What did you do?” I ask.

  “We’re getting something different.” He has a twinkle in his gaze.

  Tapping my fingers on the table, I pretend to be angry, but the aromas from the banana pie and what looks like donuts only they’re shaped like Twinkies entices me. Taking a bite from the donut-like treat, the mix of sugar and coconut burst like fireworks on my tongue.

  “Oh my god.” I can’t keep the groan quiet.

  My eyes pop open when I feel Jordan’s warm hand gliding on the bare flesh of my thigh. He whispers, “You’ll moan like that for me real soon, Mag-pie.” Our eyes meet, and I see nothing but lust shining back at me.

  I’m not sure what to do so I take another bite of the dessert, and as I’m swallowing, he asks, “You gonna share that?” I look to his plate and back again. Seeing it’s full, I’m about to say something when his lips crash down on mine. He holds nothing back this time, nipping and licking my lips until I open for him. His tongue delves deep, tasting every crevice and surface. His arms wrap me tight to his body as he deepens the kiss.

  Wanting to play with him, I bite his tongue then suck on it, eliciting a feral groan from him when I don’t let go. He tastes of the delectable dishes we’ve just finished, and I want more.

  “Scrumptious,” he breathes out, pulling back slightly.

  “It was, wasn’t it?” My breathing is choppy as I catch my breath.

  “I meant you.” Damn.

  “You’re almost too perfect, Jordan.” I’m so terrified he isn’t real.

  He kisses me lightly on the lips. “I’m very real, baby.” He moves lower to my jaw. “And I’m all yours.” Soon his head is buried in the side of my neck caressing and sucking the sensitive skin there. “And you’re all mine.”

  “I want to be.”

  “Then, let it be.”

  Releasing all my fears and hesitations, I begin to accept what we’re quickly becoming.

  He’s my husband.

  I’m his wife.

  I’ll fight for that to last forever.

  Jordan

  Megan cuddles in my arms the rest of the evening. I couldn’t let her go if I tried. The way she leans into me, so trusting, so easy, as we watch the sun set over the lagoon is amazing. I concentrate on her reactions more than anything else. She’s in awe of the beauty surrounding us. What she doesn’t realize is to me, she’s the most breathtaking sight around.

  With no city lights obscuring the view, the stars set the night’s sky ablaze like a million tiny fireflies. “I could admire this view every night and never tire of it.” Megan sighs as she leans into me.

  Gazing down at her, I say, “Me, too.”

  The lapping of the waves from where the ocean meets the lagoon rocks the boat gently as the colorful hues from the sun radiate off the water. The pinks and purples create a kaleidoscope of radiance incomparable to anything I’ve seen at home.

  “The water is so serene,” Megan responds. Her grip on my arms around her waist tightens as she looks over the railing. “Oh, Jordan! Look!” Leaning over along with her, I see a small school of clownfish swimming through the coral.

  Her excitement is contagious.

  “You ever been anywhere like this before?”

  “I went to Florida on spring break once in college, but it was nothing like this.”

  Spring break. Horny college boys. I can’t hold back the growl that vibrates through my chest.

  “I like when you do that,” she whispers up to me.

  Turning her to face me, I bring our lips close together. “No one ever touches you again.” The kiss I deliver is brutal. Claiming. Owning every inch of her I can without taking her the way I want to.

  “Mmmm, Jordan…” Her husky whimper has my dick hardening so fast, I can feel the loss of blood from my other regions.

  Seductively, my hands brush along her neck and cheek, and I stare intently into her gorgeous, twinkling green orbs. “I want you Mag-pie, but only when you’re ready.” Hurt tinges her gaze, and I rush to continue. “I want you to love me, Megan. I want your devotion to me to be as fierce and consuming as mine is rapidly becoming for you. I need for you to understand the dominating desire I have for you.” By the time I’m finished speaking, her mouth is agape in a perfect little “o,” and her gaze has glazed over with want. Fuck do I want this girl.

  Her face turns suddenly serious. “Do you believe in love at first sight, Jordan?”

  Before her? Fuck, no. After her…?

  “I believe in what I feel for you.” I can’t be more specific than that. Everything she brings out in me is so much more than what I ever would have equated to love. It’s consuming, all-encompassing passion and need for her.

  “Then maybe you should believe in what I feel for you, too.” Her shy smile speaks volumes as she leans up to kiss me just below my ear. Her warm breath followed by, “I quiver with desire for you, husband. I need to feel you filling me,” has me pulling her closer to me.

  Devouring her mouth without a second thought as other passengers watch doesn’t faze me. I want this boat turned around and heading back to port, so I can take Megan and sate the beast in me.

  Megan

  The rest of the cruise is spent with Jordan’s tongue down my throat, and his hands flexing on my hips or ass until I feel bruised. With any other man, I’d have slapped him silly. With Jordan, however, it’s more than a possessive grip, it’s more than him trying to stake his claim.

  It’s him trying not to lose control of his unquenchable desire for me.

  Neither of us says a word as he guides me back to our private hut with a covetous hand on the top of my ass. His fingers keep dipping between the crack of my cheeks, and I can’t say I don’t love it. The sand squishes between my toes as we walk, and I can’t help the slight giggle that escapes as it tickles me. The grains are softer than anything I’ve ever felt.

  Jordan suddenly stops my momentum just a few steps from the door and spins me around. “Care to go for a dip?” His head nods at the clear water only a few feet away.

  “Can we?” I ask. We walked along the shore earlier, and the water was perfectly warm, but we hadn’t fully submerged ourselves.

  “Of course.” He’s already stripping his shirt over his head and backing towards the cool water.

  Glancing back to the hut, I murmur, “I should get my suit.” I’m completely bare under the dress I’m wearing because I didn’t like the look of lines. I wanted to be sexy for Jordan. It terrified me that his gaze would wander when he saw someone more beautiful.

  His steps falter at my question, and soon, he’s rushing back to where I stand motionless. His arms wrap behind me,
pulling the zipper down my back and gliding the small straps off my shoulders. I have no idea why I don’t try to stop him, I just know the heat in his velvety chocolate orbs has me mesmerized.

  “There isn’t an inch of this body I won’t be seeing soon, Megan. No need to be shy now.” He winks as my dress drops to the ground silently, and a light breeze stiffens my nipples as his fingers graze under the heavy globes.

  Heat pools between my legs as he continues his light caresses. Sliding my thighs together, I try to alleviate the pounding in my core. He has me tied in knots as he backs away with an outstretched hand, daring me to follow him.

  I’ve never been one to turn down a dare.

  He’s still removing his clothes as we reach the water, and he stops to wait for me. “The moon is causing you to glow.” His soft words suddenly turn me shy again.

  “I think that’s all the wonderful food I ate.” I laugh to hide my nerves.

  His boxers drop at the same time he tugs my arm, and I fall into his embrace, so I can’t see the glorious hardened member I’ve felt pressed into my back or belly all evening.

  Jordan’s hands dip down to cup my ass, and he lifts me effortlessly into his hold. The warmth of his rippling abs against my overheated core makes me rumble deep within my chest. He turns to walk us into the water, our gazes never straying as we watch each other, and with every step, I feel his engorged appendage slap at my ass, making me wetter and hornier with each touch.

  I’m so entranced in the movements of his body and the way he makes feel that it isn’t until I notice water lapping at my ass that I realize how deep we are. Shivering, he smiles as I hold him tighter.

  “I have a secret,” I whisper.

  “Do share.” He grins back at me.

  “I can’t swim.”

  He gets serious as he turns around. “Why the hell would you agree to come in the water for, then? Dammit, Megan, the baby.”